Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-11-26
rhen the habit of sleeplessness first begins.

linen kerchief, folding it, and placing it
under the back of the neck, with a dry
cloth under the kerchiefto protect the pill
low. Still again, warm the feet by fric-
ton, extra wrappers, etc, and cool the
head, either in draught, or with cold wa
ter or ice. One sufferer has palliated the
distress of his vigils by leaving his bed,
lighting fire, and sitting in the chimney
corner, reading and eating by turns, until
the demon intimated desire to depart.
y physician writes that the evening
should be a period of relaxation and recre-
alton, relief from care and anxiety to be
found in cheerful conversation, pleasant
games and light reading, while persons of
sedentary occupation are to take plenty of
open-air exercise. A feeble circulation is
to be overcome, and cold feet are to be
warmed. The stomach is to be attended
to, If its digestion is not good. If it is
overloaded, easy and refreshing sleep is
impossible. Weakly persons and invalids
often find a cup of hot broth or Cruel, or
some other light and easily digestible food,
taken on retiring, to be the best promotive
Of sleep. The bed should neither be too
hard nor too soft, nor the clothing too
abundant nor too scanty. All unpleasant
sights, sounds and smells should be ex-
Guided. Regular and early hours of retr-
ing are essential. No victim of insomnia
can with safety burn the midnight oil or
engage in evening dissipation. The man
who observes these precautions, and adds
thereto 4 clear conscience and a sound
mind, has the promise of unfailing sleep.
A student troubled with insomnia
discarded his feather pillow for one of hair
with wonderful effect The hair pillow
does not get warmed up to an uncomfort-
able degree, because it rapidly conducts
away the heat impaired to it by the head.
The same person found that sleep could
be brought on by simply warming the
body, especially the feet, or by taking Il
walk, or by cold shower or sponge bath,
followed by rubbing with coarse towel.
Getting out of bed for few minutes
when the air was cool often brought relief.
He had lain awake half the night, and
then after being up long enough to mix
and drink a lemonade had fallen asleep at
once on going to bed.
"This student found that light lunch
Just before going to bed relieved his brain
by drawing the blood to his stomach.
Some physicians advise the prevention of
the flow of blood to the brain, while others
argue that the brain must have an excess
of blood to nourish it. To keep the blood
from the brain, double up the pillow and
place it under the neck in such way that
it nearly closes the artery. To supply
blood to the brain lie with the feet higher
than the head. One victim recommends
external quiet, while another victim of
sleeplessness found that a continuous low
noise favored sleep. The sound of water
dropping on pan has been prescribed by
physician. The explanation seems to be
that simple monotonous impression
qulets the brain by occupying it, to the
exclusion Of more varied and interesting.
and therefore stimulating impressions.
On the same principle are the devices of
counting backward or forward, imagining
sheep jumping one by one through a gate,
ETC., but they are open to the objection of
causing one portion of the brain to be ex-
erted in order to control the rest of it.
ga man who has Struck upon the right
plan at last and opens up to the world
something that is calculated to make man
kind rejoice and do away with drowsiness,
writes that all you have to do is to i'm
agine yourself going on a long journey.
Think over the details of it every night
when sleep Tags. The plan made him
healthy and happy.
"a physician has one simple remedy
which requires no medicine Compose
the mind as much as possible, and confine
the thoughts to one subject, or number
or individual, and close the eyelids, roll
ing the eyes continuously in one direction.
In short time consciousness will be lost.
and you will be in the blissful land of
dreams.
After an experience of two years an
other man found that he was always able
to go to sleep very shortly after retiring to
rest by keeping his eyes looking down. He
had found that they turned up when he
was sleepless and was cogitating something
that kept him awake. This remedy was
good IN every case, except when something
especially annoying or worrying had oc-
cured.
" An editor finds relief by wetting a
cloth with cold water and binding it across
his forehead. Another plan is to draw in
long, slow breath by the mouth, and to
force the breath out through the nose,
imagining that the currents can be seen.
An attempt may also be made to read an
amusing novel in bed, or to repeat a IA
miliar poem but all study or serious read
ing should be stopped half an hour before
going to bed. In a paper read by physi-
clan before the Boston Society for Medical
Improvement, he said that sleeplessness is
often caused by starvation, and that
tumbler of milk, if drank, in the middle
Of the night, will often put people to sleep
when hypnotics would fail of their pur-
pose"
There is practically no limit to the sug-
gestions offered for wooing Sleep each and
every one of which may suit in some indi-
vidual case, but not in all The writer, in
conclusion, takes the commonsense view
that "sleeplessness is caused by various
bad habits in working and, in a general
way, in living, and that the physical or
ganisms of people differ in their peculiar
tiles, their health, and so on the Inference
being that no remedy for sleeplessness will
alone suffice, but that the cause must be
attended to at once and an expedient for
bringing sleep, not drug, must be selected
under hint from the cause of the trouble
as to what it shall be-